1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter of this invention is directed to timers and more particularly to a timer that is to start with a selected preset timer interval and then count down to a zero value.
2. Description of the Related Art
The subject matter of the present invention has been found to have particular utility when used in conjunction with games. However, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that the timer of the present invention could be utilized in environments other than games.
In the playing of games, frequently there is an established time period that is required for a player to perform a playing action. In chess, a player is required to perform a move of a playing piece within a matter of a few minutes. There are also known word games which require players to perform a certain action within a certain allotted period of time. The same is true for the game of Scrabble™ as well as numerous other types of games.
In the marketing of a game, a timer is generally only one small part of the overall structure of the game. Frequently, there are a playing board, playing pieces as well as written material. In order to keep the game at a price level which would facilitate purchasing by consumers, it is necessary to have all parts of the game constructed as inexpensively as possible. In the past, in order to keep the cost at a reasonable level, there have been utilized an hourglass timing device which moves sand between compartments through a restricting passage. Such an hourglass type of timer is not particularly desirable because it does not display to the game player how much time is left. The game player can only guess by looking at how much sand has moved from one compartment to the other compartment. Knowing how much time is left is desirable by almost all players. Furthermore, to re-use an hourglass timer, players must wait until all the sand has reached the lower compartment. Only then may it be inverted to start measurement of a full new time interval. This may result in “dead time” if an action has been completed prior to the hourglass emptying.
Additionally, electronic timers have not proved to be desirable as not only are such expensive but are complicated to use. It would be desirable to design a timer that would be not only simple in construction but simple to use requiring a minimum amount of steps in order to program the timer with the selected time interval and it would also be simple to use requiring only the single act of initiating a sequential decreasing of the selected time interval to a zero value.